THE  LIBRARY 

OF 
THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 
LOS  ANGELES 


. 


EEV.  MASAYOSHI  OS 


Frontispiece. 


WON  BY  PRAYER; 


OR, 


THE  LIFE  AND  WORK 


OF 


REV.    MASAYOSHI   OSHIKAWA. 


BY 


REV.  ALLEN  R.  BARTHOLOMEW, 

Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Reformed  Church 
in  the  United  States. 


PHILADELPHIA : 

REFORMED  CHURCH  PUBLICATION  HOUSE, 

907  ARCH  STRUCT. 

1889. 


COPYRIGHT,  1889,  BY  REV.  A.  R.  BARTHOLOMEW. 


TO  MY  DEAR 


1703723 


PRKKACK. 


BELIEVING  that  the  object  ennobles  the  gift, 
this  little  volume  is  affectionately  laid  on  the 
altar  of  Foreign  Missions.  It  is  the  fruit  of  many 
pleasant  interviews. 

The  Author  ascribes  no  merit  to  it ;  yet,  if  the 
simple  story  of  a  life  so  full  of  self-denials,  thrill- 
ing incidents  and  abundant  labors  will  help  to 
fan  the  sacred  fire  of  Evangelization  in  the  heart 
of  the  Reformed  Church  into  a  mighty  blaze,  he 
will  feel  amply  repaid  for  his  work. 

To  this  end,  may  the  Lord  grant  it  a  hearty 
welcome  and  a  kind  perusal ! 

A.  R.  B. 

POTTSVILLE,  PENNA.,  September  16,  1889. 


"  READ  then  ;  but,  first,  thyself  prepare 
To  read  with  zeal,  and  mark  with  care ; 
And  when  thou  read'st  what  here  is  writ, 
Let  thy  best  practice  second  it: 
So  twice  each  sentence  read  shall  be, — 
First  on  the  page,  and  next  in  thee." 


CONTKNTS. 


PAGE 

DEDICATION 3 

PREFACE 5 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 9 

I.   INTRODUCTORY n 

II.  ANCESTRY 19 

III.  CHILDHOOD 25 

IV.  ADOPTION 31 

V.   MARRIAGE 37 

VI.  SOJOURN  AT  TOKIO 41 

VII.  CONVERSION  AT  YOKOHAMA 49 

VIII.  Vow  OP  FIDELITY 57 

IX.  CAREER  AS  A  STUDENT 61 

X.  CALL  TO  NIIGATA 67 

XI.  WORK  IN  SENDAI 77 

XII.  SENDAI  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 87 

XIII.  OUR  GIRLS'  SCHOOL 93 

XIV.  EVANGELISTIC  WORK 99 

XV.  VISIT  TO  AMERICA 103 

XVI.   CONCLUSION 107 

SUPPLEMENT in 

History  of  Mission  Work  in  Japan. 

7 


LIST  OK  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


1.  REV.  MASAYOSHI  OSHIKAWA Frontispiece 

2.  NATIVE  HOUSE 17 

3.  CARRYING  BABY 31 

4.  WIFE  OP  OSHIKAWA 40 

5.  TEACHER  AND  CLASS 46 

6.  SONS  OF  OSHIKAWA 54 

7.  BUDDHIST  PRIESTS 74 

8.  RELIGIOUS  SHRINE 80 

9.  JOHN  Aui/r  MEMORIAL  BUILDING 90 

10.  QIRLS'  SCHOOL  BUILDING 97 

n.  WIDOW'S  MITE 103 

12.  SEAL  OF  SENDAI  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  ....  107 

13.  OUR  MISSIONARIES 117 


I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 


'SAVIOUR!  sprinkle  many  nations, 

Fruitful  let  Thy  sorrows  be; 
By  Thy  pains  and  consolations, 

Draw  the  Gentiles  unto  Thee. 
Of  Thy  cross  the  wondrous  story, 

Be  it  to  the  Gentiles  told; 
Let  them  see  Thee  in  Thy  glory 

And  Thy  mercy  manifold." 


12 


WON  BY  PRAYER; 

OR, 

THE   LIFE   AND   WORK   OF    REV.    MASA- 
YOSHI   OSHIKAWA. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


A  S  the  subject  of  this  brief  sketch  is  a  native 
^~*-  of  Japan,  it  is  proper  to  preface  the  history 
of  his  life  and  work  with  a  few  words  on  the  Em- 
pire itself  and  its  present  needs.  Japan  is  our 
next  door  neighbor.  But  for  the  wide  ocean  the 
people  of  the  two  nations  could  shake  hands.  It 
is,  beyond  a  doubt,  the  most  beautiful  country  in 
the  whole  world.  No  one  can  visit  this  fairy  land 
without  exclaiming, — "The  hand  that  made  thee 
is  divine."  Foreigners  who  have  seen  the  lofty 
mountains,  the  myriad  islands,  the  magnificent 
groves  and  the  sparkling  waters  of  Japan,  are 

13 


14  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

enthusiastic  in  their  descriptions  of  this  land 
of  wondrous  beauty.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
the  botanist  finds  here  a  field  where  he  can  feast 
his  soul  and  store  his  mind  with  a  study  of  its 
varied  Flora.  Japan  is  known  as  the  land  of  the 
"Rising  Sun."  The  people  are  kind,  clever, 
active,  bright,  sturdy,  patriotic  and  wealthy.  It 
seems  they  look  to  America  for  their  social  cus- 
toms, civil  polity  and  educational  advantages. 
Almost  every  modern  improvement  found  there 
was  taken  from  our  country.  The  nation  has 
put  us  under  great  moral  responsibilities.  If 
there  be  any  great  missionary  field  of  the  earth 
that  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  expects  us  to  culti- 
vate for  Him,  it  surely  is  Japan.  No  other  nation 
bids  so  fair  to  enroll  itself  under  the  crimson  ban- 
ner of  the  Cross. 

Japan  is  ripe  for  the  Christian  religion.  Souls 
hunger  for  the  Bread  of  life.  Delay  to  supply 
them  with  the  means  of  grace  is  dangerous. 
Unless  those  people  can  be  fed  with  the  true 
meat  and  drink  of  the  soul,  they  will  go  into  the 
fields  of  the  world  and  gather  the  wild  gourds 
of  sin.  They  are  giving  up  a  poor  faith  and 
they  ask  for  a  better.  Japan  is  bound  to  imi- 


INTRODUCTORY.  1 5 

tate  America,  and  if  they  do  not  take  our  reli- 
gion, they  will  take  our  infidelity  ;  if  they  do 
not  copy  our  virtues,  they  will  surely  acquire 
our  vices.  The  question  that  confronts  the 
Christian  people  of  our  land  is, — "What  shall 
be  the  future  religion  of  Japan  ?"  Infidels  are 
busy  at  work.  Tracts  by  skeptical  writers  are 
spread  broadcast  throughout  the  empire.  Can 
we  not  stay  the  work  of  the  enemies  of  the 
Cross?  The  contest  in  Japan  will  not  be  be- 
tween Shintoism  and  Christianity,  but  between 
Christianity  and  Infidelity,  From  the  tidings 
that  come  to  us  from  the  missionaries  on  the 
field  we  may  infer  that  the  contest  between  the 
rival  forces  at  work  for  the  mastery  will  be 
brief  and  fierce.  A  few  years  will  determine  the 
issue.  If  Christianity  fails  to  triumph  in  the 
conflict,  the  censure  will  rest  upon  us.  Skep- 
ticism is  an  exotic  in  Japan.  This  poisonous 
plant  was  taken  there  from  Europe  and  Amer- 
ica. What  a  disgrace  it  will  be  to  these  Chris- 
tian nations  should  this  destructive  plant  take 
root  and  thrive  in  hearts  and  minds  so  eager 
for  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  are 
young  men  in  Japan  who  boast  that  there  is 


1 6  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

no  God,  no  soul,  no  hell.  This  is  the  dark 
side  of  the  picture,  but  the  bright  side  appears 
when  these  very  persons  come  under  the  power 
of  the  truth  and  become  the  brightest  and  best 
defenders  of  the  Christian  faith.  It  is  a  repe- 
tition of  the  old  story  of  Saul  persecuting,  and 
of  Paul  prosecuting  the  work  of  the  Lord. 
God's  word  cannot  be  broken.  God's  cause 
will  prevail.  The  Church  of  Christ  is  one  in 
Japan.  Christian  union  is  swaying  such  a  shin- 
ing sceptre  and  presenting  such  a  formidable 
front  in  the  battle  with  the  enemies  of  the 
Cross  that  we  need  not  fear  for  the  result. 

One  of  the  most  hopeful  indications  in  the 
mission  work  of  Japan  is  the  spirit  of  liberality 
among  the  native  Christians.  Almost  every 
native  Church  is  a  home  missionary  society. 
Another  striking  feature  is  the  disparity  of  the 
sexes  in  the  membership.  There  are  more  men 
than  women  in  the  Church  of  Christ  of  Japan. 
The  secret  of  this  is,  no  doubt,  the  low  condi- 
tion of  the  women  in  heathen  lands.  We 
know  that  this  is  not  the  case  in  Christian 
lands. 

There    never    was  a    time    in    the    history  of 


INTRODUCTORY.  I/ 

missions  when  the  field  was  more  open  for 
work  among  the  women.  Do  the  women  of 
America  know  that  eighteen  millions  of  their 
own  sex  are  standing  on  the  threshold  of  that 
higher,  nobler,  Christian  elevation  to  true  wo- 
manhood ?  When  we  view  the  vast  field  and 
the  immense  population  of  the  empire  we  can- 
not but  exclaim  :  "Who  is  sufficient  for  these 
things?"  There  are  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  foreign  Protestant  missionaries  among 
thirty-eight  millions  of  people.  How  can  these 
few  laborers  reach  so  many  souls?  The  native 
pastors  and  evangelists  are  doing  effective  ser- 
vice, but  the  cry  is  for  more  men  and  means. 
Truly  the  demands  of  the  present  hour  are 
urgent.  The  command  of  the-  Great  Captain 
of  our  salvation  is  written  in  letters  of  light 
over  the  door  of  the  Church  :  "Go,  Teach, 
Baptize,  Save." 

That  we  as  pastors  may  intelligently  lead 
the  people  in  the  work  of  missions,  we  must 
acquaint  ourselves  with  the  facts  as  they  come 
to  us  fresh  from  the  .field.  Experience  has 
taught  us  that  the  people  do  not  go  beyond 
their  pastors  in  zeal  and  activity,  in  knowledge 
2 


1 8  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

and  liberality.  Our  people  need  more  light  on 
the  subject  of  missions.  Give  them  facts,  and 
you  have  the  fuel  in  your  hands  wherewith  to 
kindle  the  fire  of  missions  in  their  hearts.  In 
order  that  we  as  a  Church  may  share  the  joy 
in  gathering  the  large  harvest  of  souls  for 
Christ  in  Japan,  we  must  be  active.  May  the 
Lord  open  the  hearts,  the  eyes,  the  hands  and 
the  purses  of  our  people,  so  that  as  a  church 
we  may  accomplish  our  work  in  the  world. 

Oh,  for  grace  to  strengthen  our  faith  and  in- 
spire our  courage.  The  voice  of  prophecy,  the 
words  of  Jesus,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  the 
history  of  Missions  and  the  witness  of  the 
Spirit,  all  encourage  us  to  believe  that  the 
Kingdoms  of  this  world  will  become  the  King- 
doms of  the  Lord,  and  that  "all  the  ends  of 
the  earth  shall  see  the  salvation  of  our  God." 


II. 

ANCESTRY. 


"IT  is  indeed  a  blessing  when  the  virtues 
Of  noble  races  are  hereditary, 
And  do  derive  themselves  from  the  imitation 
Of  virtuous  ancestors." 


20 


ANCESTRY. 


TV  /TASAYOSHI1  OSHIKAWA2  was  born 
^*^  at  Matsuyama,3  lyo,  in  the  southern 
part  of  Japan,  December  16,  1850. 

There  are  two  classes  in  Japan  :  Samurai 
and  Heimin.  To  the  first  class  belong  the  pro- 
tectors, scholars  and  soldiers  of  the  country. 
To  the  second  class  belong  the  merchants, 
mechanics  and  farmers.  Oshikawa's  father  was 
a  man  of  rank.  All  his  ancestors  lived  in  the 
North  of  Japan,  and  belonged  to  the  nobler 
class,  but  for  some  unknown  cause  they  left 
the  province  and  settled  at  Tokio.4 

The  supposition  is  that  the  desire  for  con- 
quering more  provinces,  and  thus  increasing 
their  power,  led  them  to  forsake  the  province 
of  the  North.  Having  thus  fallen  from  the 
rank  of  Daimio5  they  became  members  of  the 

1  Righteousness.  *  Capital  of  the  East. 

s  Running  Stream.  5  Great  Laud  Owner. 

3  Pine  Mountain. 

21 


22  WON    BY   PRAYER. 

Buke.1  As  such  they  were  entitled  to  heredi- 
tary revenues,  free  from  taxation,  and  were  the 
wielders  of  the  sword  and  pen.  "To  the  Sa- 
murai Japan  looks  to-day  for  safety  in  war  and 
progress  in  peace.  The  Samurai  is  the  soul  of 
the  nation.  This  is  the  class  which  for  cen- 
turies has  monopolized  the  arms,  polite  learn- 
ing, patriotism  and  intellect  of  Japan.  They 
are  the  men  whose  minds  have  been  ever  open 
to  learn,  from  whom  sprung  the  ideas  that  once 
made,  and  which  later  overthrew  the  feudal 
system,  which  wrought  the  mighty  reforms  that 
swept  away  the  Shogunate  (governor)  in  1868, 
restored  the  Mikado  (the  gate)  to  ancient  power, 
who  introduced  those  ideas  that  now  rule  Japan 
and  sent  their  sons  abroad  to  study  the  civili- 
zation of  the  West."— Griffis,  1876. 

The  ancestral  name  is  Hashimoto  (near  the 
bridge).  His  father  Takuji  (home  ruler)  was  a 
follower  of  the  teachings  of  Confucius,  and  his 
mother,  Tada  (only)  a  strong  adherent  of 
Buddha. 

There  is  one  point  of  agreement  between  the 
believers  of  Confucianism  and  Buddhism,  viz.  : 

1  Military  Family. 


ANCESTRY.  23 

the  worship  of  ancestors.  The  intelligent  men 
as  a  rule  are  hero-worshippers.  They  believe 
that  the  dead  are  superior  to  the  living,  and 
hence  they  worship  them.  Ancestral  worship 
consists  in  cherishing  their  memory,  in  imitating 
their  virtues  and  in  practicing  their  precepts. 
Although  the  parents  were  adherents  of  dif- 
ferent religious  beliefs,  yet  the  creeds  of  Con- 
fucius and  Buddha  require  the  worshipper  to 
honor  and  adore  his  dead  ancestors,  thereby 
causing  no  conflict  on  this  point. 

In  the  fierce  struggle  of  1867  between  the 
conservatives  and  reformers  the  father  died. 
He  had  a  strong  love  of  country,  and  a  serious 
quarrel  with  a  reformer  led  him  to  take  his 
own  life  with  the  sword.  His  family  view  this 
as  a  martyr's  death.  He  did  not  like  to  see 
the  foreigners  gaining  any  foothold  in  his  na- 
tive country,  because  he  was  afraid  that  they 
might  corrupt  the  morals  and  customs  of  the 
people.  His  mind  and  heart  were  open  to  re- 
ceive any  good  suggestions  from  the  foreigners, 
but  he  was  solicitous  to  preserve  the  ancient 
customs  and  manners.  He  had  the  welfare  of 
his  country  at  heart,  and  before  his  death  was 
much  worried  about  the  future  policy  of  Japan. 


III. 

CHILDHOOD. 


"DELIGHTFUL  task!  to  rear  the  tender  thought, 
To  teach  the  young  idea  how  to  shoot, 
To  pour  the  fresh  instruction  o'er  the  mind, 
To  breathe  the  enlivening  spirit  and  to  fix 
The  generous  purpose  in  the  glowing  breast ! " 


26 


CHILDHOOD. 


/^VSHIKAWA  was  the  fifth  of  seven  chil- 
^T  dren.  It  was  the  custom  on  the  eighth 
day  to  bring  the  child  to  the  shrine  of  the 
family  god,  to  ask  a  blessing  upon  it  and  to 
offer  a  gift,  which  usually  found  its  way  into 
the  pocket  of  the  priest.  This  act  was  a  dedi- 
cation of  the  child  to  the  god.  The  mother 
early  taught  the  lad  to  worship  in  the  home 
as  well  as  in  the  temple.  Great  stress  was  laid 
on  the  necessity  of  children  being  true,  earnest 
and  righteous  in  their  daily  life.  Both  parents 
took  a  lively  interest  in  the  training  of  their 
children.  The  mother  taught  the  simpler  doc- 
trines in  regard  to  the  daily  life  and  conduct, 
whilst  the  profounder  teaching  of  Confucius — 
that  children  shall  be  obedient  to  parents  and 
rulers — was  constantly  inculcated  by  the  father 
and  teacher.  The  mothers  in  Japan  are  usually 
ignorant,  but  their  moral  influence  upon  the 

27 


28  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

children  is  very  good.  The  chief  aim  of  a 
Japanese  mother  is  to  foster  the  spirit  of  ambi- 
tion in  her  sons.  The  children  of  parents  be- 
longing to  the  Samurai  have  special  educa- 
tional privileges.  Oshikawa  was  one  of  the 
favorites  of  the  family.  At  seven  years  of  age 
he  went  to  a  private  school  where  he  was 
taught  reading  and  writing.  (Arithmetic  was 
a  special  branch  for  the  boy-merchant.  The 
boys  of  the  nobler  class  had  no  idea  of  the 
value  of  money.)  He  was  an  apt  student  and 
a  born  leader  among  his  companions.  At  the 
age  of  nine  he  entered  the  public  school. 
During  this  time  he  underwent  the  usual  dis- 
cipline in  military  tactics.  He  became  very 
skillful  in  the  use  of  the  spear.  As  a  wrestler 
his  eldest  brother  had  always  to  take  to  the 
ground.  He  was  the  life  of  the  family.  The 
Japanese  have  great  fondness  for  amusements. 
The  toy  shop  of  Japan  is  the  mirror  of  Japan- 
ese life.  "The  contrast  between  the  Chinese 
and  the  Japanese  character  in  this  respect  is 
radical.  It  is  laid  down  in  one  of  the  very 
last  sentences  in  the  Trimetrical  Classic,  the 
primer  of  every  school  in  the  Flowery  land, 


CHILDHOOD.  29 

that  play  is  unprofitable."  In  Japan  it  is  dif- 
ferent. There,  not  only  do  the  children  play, 
but  the  parents  also  share  in  the  innocent 
sports.  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  other  na- 
tion in  the  world  affords  so  much  varied  amuse- 
'ment  for  the  children.  Let  us  fondly  hope 
that  this  ancient  happy  feature  in  Japanese  life 
may  not  disappear  as  the  nation  arises  from  the 
darkness  of  heathenism  to  enjoy  the  light  of 
Christianity. 


CARRYING  BABY. 


Page  31. 


IV. 

ADOPTION. 


"WHAT  in  me  is  dark, 
Illumine;  what  is  low,  raise  and  support; 
That  to  the  height  of  this  great  argument 
I  may  assert  eternal  Providence, 
And  justify  the  ways  of  God  to  men." 


ADOPTION. 


T  T  NDER  the  feudal  system  there  used  to  be  a 
^  law  that  all  the  sons  in  a  family,  save  the 
first-born,  had  to  be  adopted  by  another  family 
and  assume  that  family  name.  Adoption  had  two 
objects  :  a  material  and  a  religious  one.  The 
material  object  was  to  secure  to  the  family  its 
hereditary  rights,  the  benefits  of  the  Samurai 
class.  The  religious  object  was  to  maintain  the 
worship  of  ancestors.  The  son  by  adoption  usu- 
ally became  the  son-in-law,  if  the  adoptive  father 
had  a  daughter.  In  case  a  son  was  not  adopted 
by  another  family,  he  was  called  Hiya-meshi-Kui 
(eater  of  cold  rice).  This  was  a  term  of  con- 
tempt, since  cold  rice  had  no  value,  but  was  given 
to  servants,  beggars  and  dogs.  Where  families  of 
rank  had  daughters  and  no  sons,  it  was  highly 
important  that  they  select  and  adopt  a  worthy 
son  in  order  to  perpetuate  the  family  name  and  to 
receive  the  pension  from  the  government. 

In  case  the  father  died  without  succeeding  in 
3  33 


34  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

this,  his  name  was  stricken  from  the  roll  of  the 
Samurai  class,  and  the  remainder  of  the  family 
became  Heimin  (common  people). 

At  the  age  of  eleven  years  the  subject  of  this 
biography  became  the  adopted  child  of  a  family 
by  the  name  of  Oshikawa.  They  lived  about 
half  a  mile  from  the  old  home,  and  he  would  often 
visit  the  scenes  of  his  early  childhood.  Owing  to 
the  strict  discipline  in  his  new  home,  two  former 
adopted  sons  had  fled  to  their  own  homes,  but 
the  young  lad  proved  to  be  obedient  and  faithful. 

In  his  new  home  he  continued  his  studies  and 
practice  in  military  tactics.  When  he  readied 
the  age  of  fifteen  his  adopted  father  took  him 
along  to  battle.  He  was  the  smallest  and  young- 
est in  the  army,  and  his  premature  going  to  war 
proves  that  he  had  a  very  strict  and  determined 
father.  This  uncommonly  strange  experience 
on  the  field  of  battle  was  to  give  the  youthful 
warrior  a  nobler  conception  of  his  country's 
rights.  Unlike  his  own  father,  the  elder  Oshi- 
kawa was  a  very  bitter  and  violent  opposer  of  the 
introduction  and  use  of  anything  foreign.  He 
would  not  tolerate  any  foreign  measure,  though 
it  might  be  of  great  value  to  the  country.  His 


ADOPTION.  35 

feelings  ran  so  high  in  this  respect  that  he  did 
not  even  allow  his  new  son  to  acquire  the  English 
language.  Towards  the  close  of  his  life  he  be- 
came more  moderate  in  his  views,  and  the  power 
of  Christianity  had  laid  hold  of  him  to  such  an 
extent  that  Christ  found  a  place  in  his  heart,  and 
his  death  was  not  altogether  without  hope  to  his 
family. 

Both  mothers  are  living  at  this  time  in  cove- 
nant relation  with  God.  The  real  mother  of  our 
welcome  visitor  was  the  first  to  see  and  to  enjoy 
the  sweet  light  of  the  Gospel  in  the  province  of 
Matsuyama,  which  has  a  population  of  thirty 
thousand.  This  region  was  a  dark  spot  in  Japan. 
The  new  religion  had  only  enemies  in  this  prov- 
ince. Three  years  after  Oshikawa's  conversion 
his  own  mother's  heart,  through  the  influence  of 
his  life  and  teachings,  became  broken  and  con- 
trite on  account  of  her  sins,  and  she  found  for- 
giveness and  peace  through  the  blood  of  Jesus. 
She  has  been  a  devout  and  consistent  worshipper 
of  God  for  fifteen  years,  and  in  her  old  age  she 
not  only  rejoices  in  the  salvation  of  her  own  soul, 
but  in  the  work  of  her  dear  son,  whose  services 
God  so  wonderfullv  owns  and  blesses.  The  sue- 


36  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

cess  of  the  work  of  Oshikawa,  so  well  begun  and 
so  ably  continued,  is  due,  no  doubt,  in  great 
measure,  to  the  sympathy,  counsel  and  prayers 
of  his  own  mother.  Of  her  seven  children,  he 
was  especially  set  apart  to  help  to  promote  the 
welfare  of  his  country.  She  always  bore  him  on 
her  heart,  and  rejoices  to  believe  that  the  blood 
of  her  husband  and  of  his  father  was  as  seed  sown 
which  is  now  yielding  precious  fruit  in  the  glori- 
ous ingathering  of  immortal  souls  into  the  King- 
dom of  God.  Brother  Oshikawa  speaks  most  ten- 
derly and  affectionately  of  the  encouragement  he 
received  from  his  adopted  mother  in  acquiring  the 
English  language  at  his  native  home.  Without 
her  constant  and  earnest  efforts  to  quiet  her  hus- 
band, who  strenuously  opposed  even  the  study  of 
English,  the  eager  learner  could  not  have  drunk  as 
deeply  as  he  did  at  the  well  of  English  Literature. 
It  is  a  striking  coincidence  that  both  mothers, 
with  Christ  in  their  hearts,  should  now  be  living 
as  near  to  each  other  in  Sendai  as  they  did  in 
heathen  darkness  in  Matsuyama.  Then  they 
were  living  for  themselves  ;  now  they  are  helpers 
in  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  May  they  live  long 
and  well  and  happy  ! 


V. 

MARRIAGE. 


'  THE  joys  of  marriage  are  the  heaven  on  earth, 
Life's  paradise,  great  princes,  the  soul's  quiet, 
Sinews  of  concord,  earthly  immortality, 
Eternity  of  pleasures." 


HIS   MARRIAGE. 


A  T  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  married  to 
•**•  Miss  Tsune  (constant],  a  daughter  of  Ma- 
sayuki  (attainment)  Oshikawa.  To  the  Japanese 
mind  the  time  of  adoption  into  the  family  was 
the  virtual  engagement  of  the  son  and  daughter. 
This  engagement  was  made  beforehand  by  the 
parents  of  the  contracting  parties.  The  sealing 
of  the  contract  was  usually  preceded  by  the  par- 
ents exchanging  visits  and  by  carefully  examin- 
ing whether  the  prospective  union  would  be  con- 
genial. The  children  had  no  voice  in  effecting 
these  arrangements  ;  but  when  the  parties  did  not 
love  each  other,  the  marriage  contract  was  some- 
times, broken.  In  the  case  of  an  adult,  where  no 
such  marriage  contract  had  been  made,  it  was 
customary  for  the  parents  to  ask  the  consent  of 
the  son  before  they  made  the  choice  of  a  life- 
companion  for  him.  Great  preparations  were 
made  for  the  wedding-day,  especially  on  the  part 
of  the  bride.  In  families  of  rank  the  bridal  out- 

39 


4O  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

fit  was  extensive,  extravagant  and  costly,  consist- 
ing of  from  five  to  seven  wardrobes  full  of  silk 
dresses,  with  head  ornaments,  and  also  a  mirror 
and  a  sword.  The  sword,  a  symbol  of  chastity, 
was  always  sent  to  the  husband  prior  to  the  wed- 
ding, and  in  the  event  of  the  betrayal  of  the  affec- 
tions, this  instrument  was  used  to  kill  the  wife. 
It  was  a  common  thing  after  the  wedding  to  dis- 
cuss the  bridal  outfit,  and  the  weight  of  the  ward- 
robes was  generally  a  sign  of  its  value.  The 
quaint  story  is  told,  that  on  a  certain  occasion  a 
witty  bride  filled  her  wardrobes  with  stones,  so 
that  the  carriers  of  them  might  believe  that  she 
was  bringing  to  her  husband  treasures  of  great 
worth.  The  outfit  of  the  common  people  con- 
sisted of  plainer  attire  and  fewer  ornaments. 

The  wedding  ceremony  is  very  simple.  No 
priest  is  present  to  pronounce  them  "twain  one 
flesh  ;"  no  ritual  is  used  and  no  fee  is  paid.  The 
ceremony  consists  of  drinking  a  few  drops  of  sake 
(wine)  three  times,  by  the  bride  and  groom  and 
the  parents  of  both. 

A  very  elaborate  feast  winds  up  the  ceremony. 
One  or  more  rooms  in  the  old  homestead  are 
occupied  by  the  newly-married  couple,  where 
they  often  remain  for  life. 


VI. 

SOJOURN  AT  TOKIO. 


"YET  then  from  all  my  grief,  O  Lord, 

Thy  mercy  set  me  free, 
Whilst  in  the  confidence  of  pray'r 
My  soul  took  hold  on  thee." 


SOJOURN   AT  TOKIO. 


A  BOUT  one  year  after  the  marriage  of  Oshi- 
•*-*-  kawa,  he  in  company  with  eight  young 
men  from  the*  province  of  lyo,  were  sent  to 
Tokio  by  the  feudal  lord.  At  that  time  there 
were  three  hundred  and  sixty  provinces  in  the 
empire  of  Japan.  There  was  a  great  deal  of 
competition  among  the  many  provinces,  and,  in 
order  to  secure  able  and  efficient  men  for  the  re- 
sponsible positions  in  his  province,  this  lord 
chose  from  among  his  subjects  young  men  who 
might  pursue  a  special  course  of  study  in  the 
Imperial  English  College  at  Tokio,  and  thereby 
qualify  themselves  for  their  future  life-work. 
After  spending  three  years  in  this  institution  it 
became  evident  that  they  could  not  there  acquire 
a  thorough  and  practical  knowledge  of  the  Eng- 
lish. Two  of  the  eight  young  men,  one  of  them 
being  Oshikawa,  came  to  Yokohama  at  the  re- 
quest of  the  feudal  lord,  and  began  the  study  of 

43 


44  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

English  with  the  Rev.  James  Ballagh,  D.D., 
a  missionary  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  Amer- 
ica. It  was  the  intention  of  the  government  to 
send  Oshikawa  to  America  to  qualify  him  for 
greater  usefulness  among  his  own  people.  His 
past  training  had  given  him  an  unfavorable 
opinion  of  the  Christian  religion.  He  did  riot 
like  the  Christians,  and  felt  that  Christianity 
was  the  devil-religion. 

His  antipathy  to  the  missionaries  of  the  cross 
arose  from  two  things  :  obedience  to  his  parents 
and  loyalty  to  his  country.  The  teachings  of 
his  parents  and  the  opposition  of  the  country  to 
the  new  religion  made  him  dread  and  hate  it. 
Though  he  despised  Christianity  with  all  his 
heart,  yet  the  idea  of  our  civilization  had  laid 
hold  of  his  mind  to  such  an  extent  that  he  could 
not  help  asking  the  question,  "  How  could  such 
an  Qvil  religion  produce  such  a  superior  civiliza- 
tion?" The  desire  to  pry  into  the  mysteries  of 
Christianity  made  him  an  eager  observer  of  the 
life,  conduct  and  conversation  of  the  missiona- 
ries. He  was  laboring  under  the  mental  delu- 
sion that  there  was  some  secret  method  of  de- 
priving the  people  of  their  reason  and  of  compel- 


SOJOURN   AT  TOKIO.  45 

ling  them  to  become  Christians.  With  this  sus- 
picion uppermost  in  his  mind,  he  closely  watched 
his  teacher  to  see  wherein  lay  his  power  to  make 
converts.  The  Japanese  mind  at  this  time  was 
very  superstitious  ;  the  common  people  thought 
that  Christians,  by  some  magical  power,  could 
work  wonders.  These  superstitious  ideas,  no 
doubt,  were  the  relics  of  -the  influence  of  the 
Roman  Church,  which  had  at  one  time  a  strong 
hold  in  Japan.  With  these  peculiar  notions  of 
Christianity  perplexing  his  own  mind,  it  was  an 
act  of  Providence  that  brought  the  young  Oshi- 
kawa  into  a  mission  school  where  he  could  see 
and  hear  that  he  was  entirely  mistaken.  Rev. 
Ballagh,  who  is  a  very  earnest,  devout  and  faith- 
ful missionary,  paid  special  attention  to  this  in- 
teresting student.  The  study  of  the  Bible  for  an 
hour  each  day  was  a  part  of  the  course  of  instruc- 
tion. The  sacred  book  had  no  particular  in- 
terest in  it  to  the  apt  pupil,  but  his  thirst  for 
English  made  him  the  daily  reader  of  its  pages. 
The  noble  teacher  was  a  mighty  man  in  prayer. 
His  daily  communions  with  God  in  the  presence 
of  the  students  were  fragrant  with  zeal  and  love 
and  pity  for  the  nation  that  then  sat  under  the 


46  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

shadow  of  death.  These  constant  outpourings 
before  the  throne  of  God  were  gentle  touches  to 
the  hearts  of  the  anxious  learners,  and  in  due 
season  made  them  alive  with  the  conviction  that 
there  is  a,  God  and  that  He  hears  prayer.  For 
nine  months  these  students  could  not  appreciate 
the  word  of  life  nor  feel  the  power  of  prayer, 
though  they  were  reading  the  Bible  and  hearing 
the  missionary  ever}'  day.  One  day  the  man  of 
God  set  apart  an  hour  for  special  prayer.  At  the 
close  of  this  prayer-meeting  he  said  to  the  stu- 
dents:  "If  any  one  of  you  desires  to  become  a 
Christian  let  him  place  a  card  with  his  name  on 
my  table."  The  students  had  no  conversation 
in  regard  to  their  intentions  about  this  eventful 
matter,  but,  to  the  great  surprise  of  the  zealous 
missionary,  the  next  morning  he  found  the 
names  of  nine  students  on  his  table,  thereby  ex- 
pressing a  desire  to  be  baptized  into  Christ. 
The  secret  of  these  wonderful  conversions  was 
the  study  of  the  Word  and  the  quickening  pres- 
ence of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Prayer  was  also  a 
power  in  this  instance.  In  one  of  his  prayers 
the  godly  teacher  had  made  a  sincere  and  touch- 
ing appeal  in  behalf  of  the  Japanese  people,  and 


\ 


WIFE  OF  REV.  M.  OSHIKAWA. 

Page  46. 


SOJOURN   AT  TOKIO.  47 

brother  Oshikawa  testifies  that  the  petition  made 
such  an  impression  upon  his  heart  and  mind  that 
he  began  to  seek  the  way  of  truth. 

His  simple  faith  in  the  Saviour  of  men  made 
him  willing  to  surrender  himself  to  Christ.  He 
felt  the  power  of  the  pure,  righteous,  loving  and 
perfect  life  of  Jesus.  To  him  Christ  was  God. 
For  Christ  he  was  ready  to  die. 


VII. 
CONVERSION  AT  YOKOHAMA. 


49 


"LEAD  kindly,  Light,  amid  the  encircling  gloom, 

Lead  Thou  me  on. 
The  night  is  dark,  and  I  am  far  from  home, 

Lead  Thou  me  on. 

Keep  Thou  my  feet;  I  do  not  ask  to  see 
The  distant  scene — one  step  enough  for  me." 


CONVERSION   AT   YOKOHAMA. 


A  T  the  time  of  his  conversion  to  Christianity 
''*•  the  thought  of  a  future  reward  did  not 
enter  his  mind,  for  the  Holy  Spirit  had  made 
Jesus  appear  to  his  spiritual  eye  as  the  One  alto- 
gether lovely.  His  faith  in  Christ  and  love  of 
truth  made  him  eager  to  bring  his  people  to 
Christ.  A  confession  of  Christ  in  those  days  was 
accompanied  by  many  sacrifices.  Why  ?  Be- 
cause the  Japanese  believed  that  the  new  reli- 
gion taught  children  to  be  disobedient  to  parents 
and  disloyal  to  country.  It  is  natural  that  such 
views,  held  especially  by  conscientious  persons, 
would  arouse  the  bitterest  hostility  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion.  To  show  how  prevalent  this  en- 
mity was,  it  is  only  necessary  to  repeat  the  lan- 
guage of  the  edict  of  the  government  :  "So  long 
as  the  Sun  shall  warm  the  earth  let  no  Christian 
be  so  bold  as  to  come  to  Japan."  Hardly  had 
the  young  convert  been  baptized  before  the 
rumor  was  spread  abroad  and  his  parents  im- 


52  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

mediately  sent  him  word:  "Come  home." 
Oshikawa  knew  his  danger.  His  father,1  accord- 
ing to  the  law  and  custom  of  the  country,  had  a 
perfect  right  to  put  him  to  death.  As  a  son  by 
adoption  he  was  in  imminent  peril  of  his  life- 
It  is  remarkable  what  courage  and  fortitude  his 
confession  of  Christ  and  the  act  of  baptism  gave 
his  soul.  Before  he  publicly  allied  himself  with 
the  people  of  God  he  used  to  conceal  the  Bible  in 
the  folds  of  his  dress,  being  afraid  of  the  police 
officer.  This  fear  of  men  left  him  after  his  con- 
version, and,  instead  of  hiding  the  blessed  book, 
he  carried  it  openly  in  his  hand.  The  letter  from 
his  parents  requesting  his  immediate  return  did 
not  shake  his  faith  in  God.  He  went  to  obtain 
advice  from  Rev.  David  Thompson,  D.D.,  a 
missionary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  told 
his  plaintive  story  to  this  calm,  prudent,  godly 
man,  who  gave  him  the  advice  of  Paul  to  the 
Philippians  :  "Be  careful  for  nothing  :  but  in 
everything  by  prayer  and  supplication  with 
thanksgiving,  let  your  requests  be  made  known 
unto  God."  Besides  this  spiritual  counsel,  he 
also  gave  him  a  purse  of  money  which  became 

*As  used  in  this  chapter,  it  refers  to  the  adopted  father. 


CONVERSION  AT  YOKOHAMA.  53 

* 

very  useful  to  him  afterwards.1  In  the  strength 
of  the  aforesaid  passage  of  Scripture  he  under- 
took the  journey  to  his  home,  a  distance  of  five 
hundred  miles.  Hatred  and  love,  joy  and  sorrow 
were  mingled  in  the  cup  of  his  reception.  The 
parents  were  angry,  the  wife  was  loving  ;  the 
parents  were  suspicious,  the  wife  was  trustful. 
For  one  week  heathen  darkness  struggled  with 
Christian  light.  The  discussion  often  waxed  hot. 
The  young  convert  was  open  to  persuasion,  and 
he  would  always  reply  to  the  passionate  out- 
bursts of  his  father :  "If  any  one  in  this  prov- 
ince can  convince  me  that  Christianity  is  an  evil 
religion  I  will  give  it  up."  He  continued  stead- 
fast in  his  Christian  confidence.  "I  cannot  for- 
sake Christ,"  was  his  constant  reply  to  the 
abusive  arguments  of  his  father.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  one  week  his  own  mother  came  to  see 
him.  Here  we  touch  the  thrilling  point  in  the 
experience  of  the  useful  Christian.  To  the 
Japanese  mind  the  acceptance  of  Christianity 
was  a  heinous  crime,  justly  punishable  with 
death.  The  mother's  heart  was  filled  with 
shame  at  the  strange  conduct  of  her  dear  son  in 

!See  incident  on  page  63. 


54  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

accepting  Christianity,  which  was  a  disgrace  to 
the  nation  as  well  as  to  the  memory  of  his  ances- 
tors, and  she  could  not  do  otherwise  than  pa- 
tiently submit  to  the  final  decision  of  the  father. 
What  might  that  decision  be  ?  Banishment  from 
home,  loss  of  family  title  and  divorce  from  his 
wife,  or  even  death. 

Ere  the  fatal  day  arrived  for  the  verdict  of  the 
parent  his  own  mother  spent  a  whole  night  with 
him,  earnestly  pleading  with  her  dear  boy  to 
give  up  the  new  religion  and  to  remain  loyal  to 
his  ancestors.  After  three  hours  of  tender,  loving 
and  fervent  intercession,  she  fell  down  at  his 
feet  (an  unusual  act  for  Japanese  parents)  be- 
seeching him  with  tears  in  her  eyes:  "O  my 
loving  son  have  pity  upon  your  dear  mother, 
deny  Christianity,  save  your  life  and  cling  to  the 
righteous  doctrines  of  your  ancestors." 

There  was  a  long  and  painful  silence  between 
the  mother  and  son.  The  loving  appeal  of  the 
mother  wrought  upon  the  tender  feelings  of  the 
son  to  such  an  extent  that  he  could  not  at  once 
say  no  to  her  urgent  request. 

This  was  the  great  crisis  of  his  life.  In  the 
depths  of  his  heart  he  cried  out  to  God  for  help. 


CONVERSION  AT  YOKOHAMA.  55 

The  Lord  heard  his  supplication  and  enabled 
him  to  tell  his  dear  mother  in  an  emphatic  way  : 
"  I  must  stand  firm  in  the  Christian  faith  ;  I  will 
suffer  any  hardship,  even  death  itself,  rather 
than  commit  the  unpardonable  sin  by  denying 
my  Lord  and  Saviour." 

This  noble  confession  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  his  mother.  By  it  she  was  taught  the 
sober  truth,  that  to  deny  the  Lord  with  such 
strong  convictions  of  heart  and  mind  would  be 
an  unpardonable  sin.  Rather  than  have  her 
son  commit  such  a  crime,  she  was  content  to  see 
him  die  at  the  hands  of  his  father.  She  left  the 
room,  with  joy  and  sorrow  commingling  in  her 
heart — joy  that  her  son  had  such  a  strong  deter- 
mination, and  sorrow  that  by  clinging  to  his 
convictions  he  could  not  escape  the  severe 
punishment  by  the  father  and  the  utter  rejection 
by  the  people.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
when  he  became  a  Christian  he  had  no  longer 
any  friends  in  his  native  province.  Like  the 
Saviour,  he  was  despised  and  rejected  by  his  own 
people.  But  there  was  one  friend  in  the  prov- 
ince of  lyo  who  did  not  forsake  him — it  was  his 
dear  wife.  During  his  brief  stay  at  home  she 


56  WON    BY   PRAYER. 

saw  the  good  effects  Christianity  had  upon  his 
life,  and  through  his  daily  instructions,  she  ac- 
quired a  sufficient  knowledge  of  Christianity  to 
make  her  favorable  to  it.  She  gave  her  parents 
to  understand  that  by  killing  her  husband  they 
would  ruin  her,  and  by  disowning  him  she 
would  forsake  them. 

The  daughter's  determination  was  triumphant 
over  the  father's  severity,  and  he  could  not  carry 
out  his  original  intentions.  God's  protective 
hand  may  be  clearly  seen  in  this  strange  provi- 
dence, and  the  incident  confirms  the  declaration 
of  the  Apostle:  "Who  is  he  that  will  harm  you, 
if  ye  be  followers  of  that  which  is  good  ?  ' '  The 
next  morning  a  near  relative,  at  the  request  of 
the  father,  who  was  too  angry  to  speak  to  his 
son,  came  into  the  room  and  said  :  "Leave  home 
soon. ' ' 


VIII. 
VOW  OF  FIDELITY. 


"WE  expect  a  bright  to-morrow; 

All  will  be  well; 
Faith  can  sing  through  days  of  sorrow, 

All,  all  is  well. 
On  our  Father's  love  relying, 
Jesus  every  need  supplying, 
Or  in  living,  or  in  dying, 

All  must  be  well." 


VOW  OF  FIDELITY. 


to  his  departure  from  the  old  home, 
with  its  many  tender  and  sacred  associa- 
tions, a  solemn  vow  of  fidelity  to  each  other  was 
made  between  the  young  Christian  husband  and 
the  fond,  loving  wife.  With  God  as  their  wit- 
ness, the  two  hearts  married  anew,  though  for 
nine  years  thereafter  they  did  not  enjoy  each 
other's  presence  and  help.  The  husband  vowed 
that  he  would  forsake  every  other,  and  cleave  to 
her  only,  so  long  as  life  should  last.  The  wife 
made  a  similar  promise.  They  did  not  know 
what  the  results  of  this  new  and  (to  their  people) 
strange  procedure  might  be.  Oshikawa's  life  was 
in  constant  peril ;  but  the  determination  of  his 
soul  was  so  strong,  and  his  eagerness  to  elevate 
his  own  countrymen  so  intense,  that  he  was 
willing  to  die  for  the  truth's  sake.  Here  we 
have  a  repetition  of  the  experience  of  Isaac 
when  laid  by  Abraham  on  the  altar.  When 
just  ready  to  be  slain,  by  the  mercies  of  God  in 

59 


60  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

His  own  way,  the  victim  was  rescued  as  the  first 
fruits  of  the  faith  in  Japan,  and  through  him 
many  souls  have  become  the  heirs  of  eternal 
salvation.  At  the  time  of  his  conversion  there 
were  only  six  known  Protestant  Christians  in  the 
whole  Empire  of  Japan. 

.He  bade  an  affectionate  farewell  to  the  wife  of 
his  bosom,  and  during  a  period  of  nine  years  he 
met  her  only  on  two  occasions,  at  her  home  at 
intervals  of  several  years.  This  long  separation 
was  due  to  the  ill-will  of  the  father.  The  younger 
Oshikawa  exemplified  in  deed  the  spirit  of  the 
Gospel  that  "If  any  man  will  follow  Christ,  he 
must  be  willing  to  deny  himself,  forsake  all  and 
take  up  his  cross."  Christianity  laid  a  heavy 
burden  upon  this  young,  vigorous  and  burning 
disciple  of  Christ,  but,  with  a  martyr-spirit,  he 
left  his  home  and  came  to  Yokohama.  The 
journey  was  a  long  and  dreary  one.  The  needs 
of  his  own  dear  people,  who  were  sitting  in  the 
darkness  of  sin,  laid  hold  upon  his  very  soul,  and 
he  was  sorrowful  for  their  sakes.  But  his  heart 
was  full  of  joy  in  view  of  the  golden  sheaves  that 
he  knew,  by  the  help  of  the  Lord,  he  could 
gather  for  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 


IX. 
HIS  CAREER  AS  A  STUDENT. 


61 


"HE  who  can  part  from  country  and  from  kin, 

And   scorn  delights,  and  tread  the  thorny  way, 
A  heavenly  crown,  through  toil  and  pain,  to  win — 

He  who  reviled  can  tender  love  repay, 
And  buffeted,  for  bitter  foes  can  pray — 

He  who,  upspringing  at  his  Captain's  call, 
Fights  the  good  fight,  and  when  at  last  the  day 

Of  fiery  trial  comes,  can  nobly  fall — 
Such  were  a  saint — or  more — and  such  the  holy  Paul. 


62 


HIS   CAREER  AS  A  STUDENT. 


T  T  IS  return  to  Yokohama  was  a  great  victory 
•*•  for  the  Gospel.  The  missionaries  saw  in 
him  one  of  the  brightest  trophies  of  their  labors. 
His  steadfast  adherence  to  the  faith  had  a  good 
influence  upon  another  convert  of  his  province, 
who  went  home  about  the  same  time  on  a  similar 
mission.  This  man  was  weak  in  the  faith,  and 
ready  to  deny  it ;  but  when  he  saw  the  bold  cour- 
age and  strong  determination  of  his  friend,  he 
too  forsook  his  pleasant  home  and  large  inherit- 
ance and  came  to  Tokio,  bringing  his  wife  with 
him.  He  became  a  good  helper  to  the  infant 
church  at  Tokio,  where  he  also  continued  the 
practice  of  medicine.  He  died  a  few  years  ago, 
a  true  believer  in  the  saving  power  of  our  holy 
religion. 

Mr.  Oshikawa  came  to  Yokohama  penniless. 
He  was  fully  persuaded  that  he  must  qualify  him- 
self by  a  course  of  study  for  the  Christian  minis- 
try. From  henceforth  he  took  as  his  motto  :  "I 

63 


64  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

will  spend  my  life  in  the  service  of  Christianity." 
His  faith  was  put  to  the  test.  He  had  no  means 
wherewith  to  prosecute  his  studies,  but  he  was  so 
strong  in  the  Lord  that  he  knew  He  would  sup- 
ply all  his  wants.  For  three  months  he  was  a 
beneficiary  student,  the  missionaries  aiding  him. 
He  now  felt  that  he  must  provide  a  way  for  his 
self-support.  To  this  end  he  taught  men  and 
women  the  Japanese  language,  and  in  many  other 
ways  he  tried  to  make  money,  so  that  he  might 
not  be  a  burden  to  the  missionaries. 

He  did  not  like  the  idea  of  being  a  beneficiary, 
for  he  knew  that  there  were  younger  men  who 
had  no  way  of  supporting  themselves,  and  in 
order  to  help  them  he  was  willing  to  deny  him- 
self. His  self-denying  spirit  furnishes  a  very 
forcible  example  to  the  young  men  in  the  Church 
who  feel  that  they  ought  to  be  ministers  of  Christ, 
but  who  do  not  see  how  they  are  to  receive  the 
proper  training.  Let  such  find  a  powerful  stim- 
ulant in  his  experience,  and  make  an  effort,  at 
least,  to  enter  the  holy  ministry. 

He  studied  theology  for  four  years  in  Yoko- 
hama, under  Rev.  S.  R.  Brown,  D.D.,  a  minister 
of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America.  Four  other 


HIS  CAREER  AS  A  STUDENT.  65 

teachers  were  helpers  in  preparing  him  for  his 
great  life-work.  During  his  student  life  he  fre- 
quently spoke  to  large  audiences.  The  subject  of 
his  first  sermon  was  Faith: — "Now  faith  is  the 
substance  of  things  hoped  for,  the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen"  (Hebrews  n  :  i). 

The  sermon  was  delivered  in  a  large  'theatre  in 
the  presence  of  an  attentive  audience  of  several 
hundred,  and  made  a  deep  impression.  Whilst 
pursuing  his  studies  he  was  a  hard  worker  for  the 
Gospel,  and  by  his  feeble  efforts  not  a  few  were 
led  to  Christ. 

As  in  the  case  of  o\ir  own  ministers  in  olden 
times  so  here,  the  advantages  of  a  thorough  theo- 
logical training  were  not  at  hand,  but  he  made 
the  best  use  of  his  time  and  became  duly  quali- 
fied rightly  to  divide  the  Word  of  God.  His 
stay  at  Yokohama  gave  him  an  opportunity  not 
only  to  acquire  an  education,  but  also  to  form  the 
acquaintance  of  the  missionaries.  He  had  great 
confidence  in  their  purity,  integrity  and  fidelity. 
To  him  their  lives,  conduct  and  conversation  be- 
came an  object-lesson.  He  could  see  that  they 
had  been  with  Jesus  and  had  learned  of  Him. 
He  frequently  speaks  of  them  in  the  most  grate- 
5 


66  WON    EY   PRAYER. 

ful  terms  for  what  they  did  for  him  in  temporal 
'and  spiritual  things. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  elders  in  the  First 
Christian  congregation  in  Yokohama.  Subse- 
quently he  had  a  call  from  this  church  to  become 
its  pastor,  but  his  modesty  forbade  his  acceptance 
of  that  honor.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  mention 
the  fact  that  the  beautiful  idea  of  Church  Union 
had  its  origin  in  the  first  Christian  church  of 
Yokohama.  In  its  early  days  an  effort  was  made 
towards  union  with  the  Congregational  Church 
at  Kobe.  The  congregation  at  Yokohama  did 
not  assume  the  title  "  Dutch  Reformed  Church," 
but  simply  "The  Church  of  Christ  in  Japan," 
looking  towards  a  closer  union  in  the  future  with 
sister  churches. 


X. 

CALL  TO  NIIGATA. 


•'  THE  light  is  ever  silent ; 
Most   silent   of  all   heavenly   silences. 
Such  let  my  life  be  here ; 

Not   marked   by   noise,   but  by   success  alone, 
Not  known  by  bustle  but  by  useful  deeds, 
Quiet  and  gentle,  clear  and  fair  as  light. 
Yet  full  of  its  all  penetrating  power, 
Its  silent  but  resistless  influence ; 
Wasting  no  needless  sound,  yet  ever-working, 
Hour  after  hour,  upon  a  needy  world." 


68 


CALL  TO   NIIGATA. 


.  T.  A.  PALM,  a  man  of  great  celebrity 
oth  as  a  physician  and  as  a  missionary, 
sent  a  call  from  Niigata  to  Yokohama  for  a  na- 
tive helper  who  could  aid  him  in  his  church- 
work.  This  place  was  a  hard  field  for  mission- 
ary work.  It  was  a  strong-hold  of  Buddhism, 
and  the  people  were  very  bitter  against  Chris- 
tianity. The  interpreter  who  was  helping  Dr. 
Palm  withdrew  from  the  -work  on  account  of 
the  persecution  of  the  people.  One  day  while 
he  was  conducting  a  service  several  foes  of  the 
cause  came  and  took  him  off  the  pulpit,  beat- 
ing him  with  their  fists,  until  the  police  set 
him  at  liberty.  It  will  be  seen  from  this  inci- 
dent that  to  enter  the  place  as  an  evangelist 
would  be  accompanied  with  more  or  less  of 
personal  danger.  The  helper  who  fled  from 
Niigata  was  a  Mr.  Amenomori.  Why  did  this 
man  forsake  his  post  of  duty?  It  is  the  opin- 
ion of  those  who  know  him  best  that  he  never 

69 


/O  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

was  a  sincere  Christian.  After  he  left  Niigata 
he  came  to  Yokohama  and  forsook  Christi- 
anity. In  May  last  he  was  the  orator  at  the 
imposing  service  held  in  the  great  Buddhist 
temple  at  Ikegami,  Japan.  This  religious  ser- 
vice was  held  after  the  Buddhist's  rites  in 
memory  of  the  men  who  lost  their  lives  in 
the  sunken  vessel  "Oneida,"  belonging  to  the 
United  States,  and  whose  remains  were  found 
some  time  ago.  It  seems  that  Mr.  Ameno- 
mori  is  neither  a  Buddhist  nor  a  Christian, 
but  an  agnostic. 

The  loud  call  from  Niigata  for  an  evangelist 
rang  into  the  ears  of  Mr.  Oshikawa,  but  he 
did  not  feel  that  the  voice  came  from  heaven. 
He  gave  great  heed  to  it,  however,  and  made 
it  a  subject  of  earnest  prayerful  study.  He 
had  frequently  heard  of  the  pressing  need  of 
an  evangelist,  but  the  necessity  of  his  accept- 
ing the  call  did  not  become  clear  to  him  until 
one  Sabbath  evening  at  prayer-meeting,  where 
the  Rev.  James  Ballagh,  D.D.,  made  it  the 
subject  of  special  prayer.  At  that  service, 
in  answer  to  a  fervent  prayer,  Mr.  Oshikawa 
felt  the  Spirit's  power  urging  him  to  go 


CALL  TO  NIIGATA.  71 

to  Niigata.  Such  was  the  overshadowing  of 
the  Spirit  that  he,  in  the  midst  of  prayer, 
arose  from  his  knees  and  said:  "I  will  go, 
for  the  L/ord  commands  me."  It  was  the 
last  of  December,  and  Niigata  lay  two  hun- 
dred and  sixty-three  miles  west  from  Tokio. 
His  journey  lay  over  rough  mountain  roads, 
almost  impassible  on  account  of  the  deep  snows 
and  strong  winds.  He  had  to  pass  through 
Shinano,  the  coldest  and  highest  spot  in  Japan, 
and  the  largest  province  in  the  empire.  He 
was  very  poor  and  without  sufficient  clothing 
to  protect  him  from  the  cold.  His  friend  and 
teacher,  the  Rev.  S.  A.  Brown,  D.D.,  supplied 
him  with  three  of  his  own  suits,  fur  gloves 
and  a  pair  of  boots.  Unfortunately  the  coats 
were  too  large  and  the  boots  were  too  small, 
but  fit  or  no  fit  he  put  them  on  to  keep  warm 
during  his  long  and  tedious  journey.  He  had 
to  make  the  trip  on  foot,  and  it  took  him 
thirteen  days  to  reach  Niigata.  He  spent  two 
days  in  the  town  of  Uyeda,  where  he  met  a 
few  believers  who  were  afraid  to  call  them- 
selves Christians.  "They  kept  the  Sabbath 
and  met  regularly  to  worship  God  and  study 


72  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

the  Bible  ;  they  had  only  a  copy  of  the  Gos- 
pel of  Matthew,  and  yet  they  came  to  a  knowl- 
edge of  God  and  His  worship  by  this  alone." 
This  little  band  of  secret  disciples  were  very 
happy  to  meet  a  bearer  of  glad  tidings,  and 
they  begged  him  to  remain  with  them  to 
teach  them  more  fully  the  precious  truths  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.  He  spent  two  whole  days  in 
strengthening  the  faith  of  these  timid  Chris- 
tians, and  the  work  of  the  Lord  continues  to 
prosper  among  them  until  this  day.  One  of 
their  number  has  since  become  a  minister  of 
the  Gospel  and  is  now  the  successful  pastor  at 
Yokohama  of  the  largest  Christian  church  in 
Japan.  Rev.  Oshikawa  resumed  his  journey, 
suffering  great  hardships,  and  on  January  2, 
1876,  reached  Niigata.  His  appearance  on 
-arriving  there  was  like  that  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist. His  attire  was  very  strange  and  unusual 
to  the  eye  of  a  Japanese  ;  being  so  very  cold 
he  not  only  wore  his  native  dress,  but  the 
foreign  garments  given  him  by  his  loving 
teacher.  He  made  quite  an  unfavorable  impres- 
sion on  the  cook  in  the  house  of  Dr.  Palm,  who 
at  once  said  :  u  This  man  will  be  useless  here." 


CALL  TO   NIIGATA.  73 

He  immediately  began  his  work  and  contin- 
ued it  in  the  face  of  much  opposition  and 
many  difficulties,  but  his  labors  were  very  fruit- 
ful. A  flourishing  church  exists  at  this  place 
whose  members  evince  a  strong  faith  and  a 
firm  reliance'  on  their  Covenant-Father.  Mr. 
Oshikawa  spent  nearly  four  years  here.  In 
connection  with  this  church  he  also  served  nine 
out-stations.  He  spent  about  one-half  of  his 
time  in  pastoral  work,  the  most  remote  station 
being  fifty  miles  distant.  The  rough  roads, 
snow  drifts  and  fierce  winds  made  travel  ex- 
ceedingly difficult.  Mr.  Oshikawa  had  to  reach 
his  appointments  on  foot. 

During  the  third  year  of  his  stay  in  Niigata 
Mrs.  Oshikawa,  by  the  permission  of  her  father, 
came  to  join  him  in  his  arduous  labors  and  to 
share  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  his  ministry. 
Her  coming  was  as  a  bright  light  in  the  dark 
cloud  which  had  so  long  overhung  his  path- 
way, and  ever  since  that  time  husband  and 
wife  have  been  zealously  laboring  "for  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  The  Lord 
has  blest  their  union  with  four  children.  Two 
boys  are  still  living,  and  the  father  cherishes 


74  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

the  fond  hope  that  the  Master  may  use  them 
in  His  service.  He  has  given  them  to  the 
Lord  with  the  fervent  prayer  that  He  may 
place  them  in  spheres  of  life  where  they  may 
best  serve  Him.  He  would  like  to  see  them 
in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  but  he  says  if 
they  should^  lack  the  "gift"  he  would  rather 
see  them  become  farmers  or  merchants.  He 
believes  that  inefficient  pastors  corrupt  Christi- 
anity and  retard  the  progress  of  Christ's  King- 
dom in  the  earth. 

During  the  first  year  of  his  ministry  at  Nii- 
gata,  he  preached  every  evening  to  large  con- 
gregations, and  he  relates  that  one-half  of  his 
listeners  were  Buddhist  priests.  These  always 
occupied  the  front  pews,  and  with  their  shaven 
heads  gave  interest  to  the  meeting.  It  was 
customary  after  the  services  for  the  priests  to 
come  forward,  ask  questions  and  discuss  them 
with  the  missionaries.  Such  discussions  were 
the  attractive  features  of  the  evening,  and  often 
continued  tlntil  midnight.  Their  ignorance  of 
Christianity  made  it  easy  for  Mr.  Oshikawa  to 
defeat  their  arguments.  The  priests,  as  a  class, 
are  the  worst  characters.  The  voice  of  con- 


BUDDHIST  PRIESTS. 


Page  74, 


CALL  TO   NIIGATA.  75 

science  no  longer  impresses  them.  Their  posi- 
tion as  priests  should  entitle  them  to  high 
esteem,  but  because  they  preach  what  they  do 
not  believe  the  intelligent  despise  them.  The 
people  were  eager  to  detect  any  fault  in  Chris- 
tianity. They  came  every  day  to  his  room  to 
argue  against  the  truth,  but  a  few  also  came 
to  learn  about  Jesus.  It  was  difficult  for  him 
to  walk  along  the  street.  The  boys  would 
call  him  "Yaso"  (a  term  of  contempt),  and 
fanatical  persons  would  frequently  pour  water 
upon  him.  Such  indecent  treatment  became 
the  cause  of  great  rejoicing  among  the  people. 
It  was  not  an  infrequent  occurrence  for  an 
enemy  to  come  to  the  place  of  preaching  at 
night,  and  through  the  open  door  hurl  bags  of 
ashes  against  the  ceiling,  thus  emptying  their 
contents  on  the  heads  of  the  listening  crowd: 
These  vile  wretches  could  not  be  detected, 
owing  to  the  darkness  of  the  room.  (They  had 
no  electric  light  in  those  days).  Such  abuse 
by  the  people  might,  in  the  estimation  of  some, 
have  justified  his  withdrawal  from  Niigata,  but 
this  was  not  the  cause  of  his  removal  to  Sen- 
dai.  Two  reasons  may  be  given  for  his  loca- 


76  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

tion  among  a  people  who  were  more  alive  to  the 
needs  of  perishing  souls :  ist  A  year  previous 
to  his  departure  from  Niigata,  he  paid  a  visit 
to  Yamagata,  Yonezawa  and  Sendai  in  the 
northern  part  of  Japan.  He  made  this  trip  to 
explore  that  portion  of  the  empire.  He  spent 
three  months  among  the  people,  preaching  and 
distributing  the  Bible  among  them.  They 
made  a  favorable  impression  on  his  mind,  and 
he  felt  it  his  duty  to  locate  there.  2d.  In  two 
months  after  his  return  three  large  and  destruc- 
tive fires  broke  out  in  Niigata.  Nine  thousand 
houses  were  consumed.  Having  no  preaching 
place,  and  the  people  being  occupied  in  re- 
building their  houses,  he  had  but  little  oppor- 
tunity to  labor  among  them.  These  severe 
conflagrations  and  the  bitter  animosities  of  the 
people  made  it  plain  to  his  mind  that  he 
should  locate  in  the  city  of  Sendai.  He  brought 
with  him  Mr.  K.  Yoshida  as  an  assistant,  who 
by  his  piety  and  zeal  has  been  very  helpful  to 
him  in  the  work  of  Evangelization. 


XL 
WORK   IN   SENDAI. 


77 


"  BLEST  thought !    each  conflict  here,  each  bitter  strife, 
Shall  but  add  sweetness  to  the  cup  of  life. 
Each  heavy  stroke  shall  but  God's  child  prepare 
To  be  a  pillar  in  His  temple  there; 
There,  where  the  things  which  darkly  now  I  see, 
Shall  be  in  perfect  light  revealed  to  me." 


HIS  WORK   IN   SENDAL 


A  WIDE  and  effectual  door  was  open  to  him 
*V  in  this  city  and  the  region  round  about. 
A  church  was  the  fruit  of  his  first  year's  labor, 
and  eleven  members  agreed  to  support  him  as 
their  pastor.  The  beginning  of  his  labors  in 
Sendai  was  very  different  from  that  in  Niigata. 
There,  out  of  mere  curiosity,  the  people  came 
in  crowds  to  hear  him  ;  here  he  could  not  find 
any  one  for  six  months  to  listen  to  the  preaching 
of  the  word.  He  spent  this  season  of  patient 
waiting  and  earnest  endeavor  in  visiting  from 
house  to  house.  Though  he  read  the  Bible  in 
many  families,  there  was  no  response  to  its 
precious  teachings.  He  had  to  pave  the  way 
before  any  one  would  come  to  hear  him  tell  the 
story  of  Jesus  and  His  love.  Why  should  these 
people  be  so  unwilling  to  hear  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel  ?  During  the  period  of  Reformation 
(1868)  the  inhabitants  of  the  province  of  Sendai, 
in  a  war  against  the  emperor  of  Japan,  were 

79 


80  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

defeated,  and  some  of  them  fled  to  Hakodate, 
one  of  the  five  ports  of  Japan,  a  flourishing  city 
about  three  hundred  miles  distant.  Here  many 
of  them  became  converts  to  the  Greek  Church, 
and  on  returning  to  their  homes  established  con- 
gregations. In  the  course  of  time  the  bulk  of 
these  Christians  became  merely  nominal  adhe- 
rents to  the  Church.  Their  lives  were  a  constant 
reproach  upon  the  Christian  religion,  and  this, 
coupled  with  an  inborn  prejudice  against  Chris- 
tianity, made  them  unwilling  to  listen  even  to 
the  preaching  of  Mr.  Oshikawa.  After  six 
months  of  unsuccessful  toil,  he  hired  a  very 
attractive  place  on  the  main  street,  and  at  the 
close  of  one  month  liis  audiences  were  large, 
attentive  and  interesting.  From  the  time  of  his 
arrival  in  Sendai  the  work  grew,  but  the  services 
had  to  be  held  in  unsuitable  rooms.  Not  until 
the  year  1887  did  the  congregation  enjoy  their 
own  place  of  worship.  At  this  time  they  pur- 
chased a  large  Buddhist  temple,  with  a  seating 
capacity  of  five  hundred,  for  the  sum  of  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars.  To  the  Christians  at 
Sendai  this  purchase  was  a  great  victory  for 
the  gospel.  Heretofore  this  place  was  used  for 


HIS  WORK  IN    SENDAI.  8 1 

the  worship  of  many  gods  ;  now  it  was  solemnly 
set  apart  for  the  worship  of  the  One  true  and 
living  God.  This  is  the  first  instance  in  the 
Mission  work  of  Japan  that  a  Heathen  temple 
became  a  Christian  church.  The  congregation 
has  outgrown  the  temple.  Rev.  Oshikawa  feels 
the  necessity  of  a  new  house  of  worship,  and 
he  sincerely  hopes  that  the  churches,  during 
his  stay  in  America,  will  contribute  a  sufficient 
sum  of  money  to  erect  a  building  that  will  be 
an  honor  to  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United 
States,  as  well  as  a  blessing  to  the  faithful  of 
his  own  flock. 

Rev.  Oshikawa  has  seen  sore  trials.  Not  only 
was  the  hand  of  persecution  upon  him  from 
without,  but  the  Lord  led  him  through  the 
deep  waters  of  affliction.  Sickness  laid  hold 
upon  him,  and  for  three  months  the  Lord  taught 
him  on  his  sick-bed  how  weak  he  was.  This 
became  a  season  of  heavy  distress  to  him,  but 
through  it  the  Healer  of  the  soul  was  working 
out  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight 
of  glory.  He  found  great  comfort  in  his  com- 
munion with  God.  He  says  that  the  map  of 
Japan  which  hung  in  his  sick  chamber,  and 
6 


82  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

the  study  of  the  book  of  Job,  gave  him  much 
consolation.  On  that  map  he  saw  many  places 
in  which  the  people  sat  in  spiritual  ignorance, 
and  to  whom  he  felt  he  must  bring  the  Lamp 
of  life  to  "  dispel  the  darkness  from  their  minds, 
and  to  open  all  their  eyes." 

In  the  book  of  Job  he  saw  a  man  full  of 
trials  and  bereavements,  and  whose  patient  sub- 
mission to  God  enabled  him  to  say:  "Though 
He  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  Him."  In  this 
time  of  his  affliction  the  angel  of  death  also 
came  and  bore  away  a  little  daughter,  the 
dearest  one  in  the  household.  Through  the 
thick  of  the  gloom  the  light  of  the  Cross  was 
still  shining  in  the  heart  of  this  man  of  God, 
and  he  could  bless  the  hand  that  had  given  and 
taken  away  the  flower  of  his  family.  These 
light  afflictions  were  not  only  working  out  a 
blessing  for  this  suffering  brother,  but  they  also 
became  a  benefit-  to  the  attending  physician, 
Dr.  Koyama.  Whilst  he  was  prescribing  for 
his  patient,  the  patient,  by  his  sweet  submission 
amid  the  crushing  bereavement,  was  teaching 
him  the  power  of  Christianity  in  the  hour  of 
trouble.  It  was  evident  to  his  mind  that  human 


HIS  WORK  IN  SEXDAI.  83 

strength  alone  could  not  fortify  the  soul  under 
such  trying  circumstances,  and  he  began  to 
search  out  the  secret  of  his  patient's  ready  and 
cheerful  resignation  to  the  painful  providences 
of  his  daily  life. 

The  child's  death  became  the  physician's  life. 
He  now  came  to  his  patient  not  to  administer 
medicine  for  the  body,  but  to  receive  from  his 
lips  the  saving  balm  for  his  soul.  For  several 
months  he  was  an  eager  seeker  for  more  light 
about  the  "Jesus  Way,"  and  when  he  found 
it  he  gave  up  all  for  Jesus.  The  readers  of 
our  Church  papers  may  recall  the  fact  that  when 
Rev.  W.  E.  Hoy  went  to  Shiroishi,  he  was 
met  by  a  Christian  physician,  who  kindly  shared 
with  him  the  hospitalities  of  his  home,  this 
physician  being  no  other  than  Dr.  Koyama, 
one  of  the  first  fruits  of  Brother  Oshikawa's 
labors  in  Sendai.  His  wife,  who  continued  a 
heathen  for  seven  years  after  his  conversion, 
recently  became  a  Christian,  and  enjoys  with 
her  husband  the  benediction  of  Christianity  in 
the  home.  Through  his  influence  many  persons, 
among  them  several  physicians,  have  embraced 
the  Christian  religion.  He  is  at  the  head  of  a 


84  WON    BY  PRAYER. 

large  corps  of  physicians  in  the  hospital  at 
Shiroishi,  and  his  position  affords  him  splendid 
opportunities  to  care  for  the  souls  as  well  as 
the  bodies  of  his  patients.  Our  missionaries 
recognize  his  worth  and  appreciate  his  help. 

Until  1885  our  faithful  missionary,  the  Rev. 
Oshikawa,  stood  aloof  from  all  synodical  rela- 
tions. His  first  idea  was  to  establish  churches  on 
a  broad  basis  under  the  name  of  the  Church  of 
Christ  in  Japan.  He  felt  that  Christianity  could 
make  better  progress  without  denominational 
distinction.  After  five  years  of  experiment  he 
gave  up  this  idea.  It  became  plain  to  his  mind 
that  in  order  rapidly  to  spread  the  Gospel  in 
the  north  of  Japan  he  must  have  help,  both  of 
men  and  means.  He  went  to  Tokio,  and  made 
his  wants  and  wishes  known  to  the  United 
Church  of  Christ  in  Japan.  He  was  willing  to 
connect  his  work  with  the  United  Church  of 
Christ  on  two  conditions  : — 

ist.  The  establishment  of  a  Boys'  and  Girls' 
school. 

2d.  The  supply  of  money  for  evangelistic 
purposes. 

He  had  three  churches  and  two  hundred  mem- 


HIS  WORK   IN   SENDAI.  85 

bers.  The  missionaries  at  Tokio  were  impressed 
with  his  humility,  piety  and  ability.  Subse- 
quently they  paid  much  attention  to  him  and 
his  work.  "At  his  earnest  request  other  laborers 
were  to  be  sent  to  assist  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  his  work."  About  this  time  Rev. 
W.  E.  Hoy,  of  America,  a  minister  of  the 
Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States,  came 
to  Japan.  Fortunately  he  was  met  by  Rev. 
Oshikawa  at  Tokio,  who  soon  got  his  consent 
to  locate  at  Sendai.  The  missionaries  of  our 
Church  agreed  to  this  arrangement,  and  from 
that  time  Sendai  became  the  special  field  of 
work  for  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United 
States. 

With  the  arrival  of  the  new  missionary  in 
this  interesting  and  hopeful  province  the  work 
was  carried  on  with  perfect  trust,  and  the  end 

is  not  yet.     The  membership  comprises  several 

• 

officials  and  persons  of  rank.  Among  the  con- 
verts is  the  Vice-President  of  the  Provincial 
Assembly,  an  elder  in  the  Sendai  congregation, 
and  at  this  time  a  probable  member  of  the 
Imperial  Assembly. 

The    seed   of    the   Gospel    sown    in   tears   is 


86  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

beginning  to  bear  a  bountiful  harvest.  Accord- 
ing to  the  latest  statistics  our  Mission  reports 
seven  churches  and  twelve  preaching  places. 
There  are  ten  hundred  and  twenty-five  mem- 
bers ;  six  hundred  and  twenty-four  Sunday- 
school  scholars  ;  contributions  for  all  purposes 
during  the  last  year  are  twenty-five  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  dollars. 

Our  missionaries  have  done  noble  service  for 
the  Master,  and  we  can  feel  amply  repaid  for 
every  offering  made  in  behalf  of  our  foreign 
work.  They  ask  for  our  prayers ;  they  crave 
our  sympathy  ;  they  need  our  help.  The  Father 
in  heaven  bless  them. 


XII. 
SBNDAI  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


"  BY  knowledge  we  do  learn  ourselves  to  know 
And  what  to  man,  and  what  to  God  we  owe." 


88 


SENDAI   THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 


r  I  X)  meet  the  great  demand  for  new  men  to 
•*-  occupy  the  various  stations,  it  became  neces- 
sary to  establish  a  school  of  the  prophets.  The 
call  for  more  pastors  and  evangelists  was  nowhere 
more  urgent  than  in  the  north  of  Japan.  This 
institution  is  a  child  of  faith  and  prayer.  It 
had  an  humble  beginning.  We  believe  that  the 
hand  of  God  led  the  brethren,  Hoy  and  Oshi- 
kawa,  to  establish  the  Training-school  and  to 
maintain  it  at  a  cost  of  much  toil  and  self-sac- 
rifice. The  Sendai  widow  who  came  forward 
with  her  twelve  pieces  of  silver,  and  kindled  a 
holy  enthusiasm  in  their  hearts,  led  others  to 
make  sacrifices  for  this  noble  cause.  This  gift 
deserves  more  than  a  passing  notice,  for  it  was 
given  not  out  of  her  abundance,  but  it  was  all 
that  she  had.  She  had  saved  this  amount  in 
case  of  her  sickness  or  death.  Her  history  is 
unknown,  but  this  that  she  hath  done  will  be 
spoken  of  as  a  memorial  of  her.  Six  young 


90  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

men  came  forward  as  candidates  for  the  holy 
ministry.  They  were  poor,  because  they  had 
given  up  their  profession  as  school-teachers  to 
learn  in  the  school  of  Christ.  Faith  brought 
them  to  the  feet  of  the  teachers,  Hoy  and  Oshi- 
kawa,  and  faith  found  a  way  for  their  support. 
Brother  Hoy  not  only  taught,  but  fed  and  clad 
them  at  his  own  expense  for  one  year.  This 
unknown  act  of  self-sacrifice  is  worthy  of  special 
mention,  because  it  multiplied  the  widow's  gift 
an  hundred-fold.  His  heart  was  not  at  rest 
until  the  Training  school  a  year  ago  found  a 
veritable  home  through  an  additional  offering 
known  as  the  "John  Ault  Memorial  Building," 
the  gift  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Hoy. 

The  training-school,  like  the  tabernacle  of 
old,  was  a  movable  institution.  It  began  in 
an  old,  dingy  house  along  the  outskirts  of  the 
city  ;  later  it  was  moved  into  an  unsuitable 
building  on  our  Sambancho  lot.  Again,  it 
found  a  home  in  several  small  rooms  attached 
to  what  was  once  a  Buddhist  temple,  but  which 
is  now  the  place  of  worship  of  our  Sendai  con- 
gregation. 

Last  year  the  students  took  possession  of  the 


SENDAI   THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY.  91 

two-story,  well-built  Japanese  building,  and  until 
the  Church  will  furnish  the  money  for  the  Oshi- 
kawa  Memorial  Building,  it  cannot  fully  serve 
its  original  purpose  as  a  dormitory.  This  build- 
ing is  just  such  a  home  for  the  school  as  will 
invest  it  with  such  permanency  as  nothing  else 
could  give  it.  It  is  a  memorial  to  a  dear  father, 
and  it  is  an  example  of  true  missionary  conse- 
cration. How  loudly  the  act  speaks  to  all  who 
profess  the  name  of  Christ  !  The  faculty  of 
the  Seminary  consists  of  Revs.  W.  E.  Hoy,  D. 
B.  Schneder,  M.  Oshikawa,  T.  Abe  and  Mr. 
Yendo. 

These  brethren  are  wielding  a  good  influence 
in  this  most  important  branch  of  our  mission 
work.  The  students  in  attendance  have  come 
from  various  parts  of  the  empire.  The  present 
accommodations  will  not  warrant  the  increase 
of  students,  and  yet  each  year  young  men  of 
good  talent  and  earnest  hearts  apply  for  admis- 
sion. Upon  the  Church  at  home  devolves  the 
solemn  responsibility  of  extending  the  useful- 
ness of  this  very  important  department  of  Chris- 
tian work.  Let  it  be  the  subject  of  much 
thought,  fervent  prayer  and  liberal  giving,  and 


92  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

this  school  will  not  only  occupy  a  high  place 
in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  our  Church,  but 
it  will  send  forth  year  after  year  a  goodly  num- 
ber of  pious,  earnest  and  intelligent  young  men 
to  labor  and  pray  for  the  salvation  of  their 
countrymen,  to  the  glory  of  the  Master. 


XIII. 
OUR  GIRLS'  SCHOOL. 


93 


'  FOR  learning  is  the  fountain  pure 
Out  from  the  which  all  glory  springs : 
Whoso  therefore  will  glory  win, 
With  learning  first  must  needs  begin." 


94 


OUR  GIRLS'    SCHOOL. 


JAPAN  is  enthusiastic  on  the  subject  of  edu- 
cation. The  key  to  the  heart  of  the  Japan- 
ese is  the  school.  It  is  true,  they  are  more 
anxious  for  education  than  for  Christianity,  but 
the  missionaries  sincerely  believe  that  the  school- 
room will  become  the  net  whereby  they  may 
catch  immortal  souls  for  Jesus.  The  govern- 
ment does  not  yet  realize  the  spiritual  needs  of 
the  women  and  girls  of  Japan.  To  some  ex- 
tent it  understands  their  needs.  It  wishes  them 
to  have  a  practical  education,  but  it  is  not  yet 
willing  to  accept  Christianity.  Within  the  last 
few  years  the  Christian  Church  has  been  paying 
much  attention  to  the  condition  of  women  in 
heathen  lands.  The  Gospel  has  done  much  for 
woman,  and  it  is  felt  to-day  that  the  conversion 
of  Japan  can  be  brought  about  only  as  the 
native  women  engage  in  the  work  of  the  Lord. 
Heathenism  regards  woman  as  the  slave  of  man. 
With  the  advent  of  Christ  into  the  world 

95 


96  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

woman  rose  from  her  menial  condition  to  man's 
inferior  in  nothing,  to  his  equal  in  all  things, 
and  to  his  superior  in  many  things.  In  order 
that  heathen  women  may  occupy  their  rightful 
position  in  the  social  economy,  they  must  enjoy 
a  liberal  Christian  training.  To  this  end  our 
missionaries  have  seen  proper  to  found  the  Girls' 
school  at  Sendai.  From  the  beginning  it  was 
a  success.  The  two  excellent  lady  teachers, 
Miss  Lizzie  R.  Poorbaugh  and  Miss  Mary  B. 
Ault,  bade  farewell  to  their  native  land  with  the 
full  determination  to  carry  the  glad  tidings  of 
salvation  to  their  unfortunate  sisters  at  Sendai. 
The  constant  reports  of  their  labors  in  the  Girls' 
school  prove  that  the  Lord  is  giving  them  the 
desire  of  their  hearts.  Not  only  are  their  inter- 
esting pupils  receiving  the  proper  training  of 
the  mind,  but  ever  and  anon  a  heart  opens  to 
receive  the  gentle  baptism  of  the  Spirit.  Every 
year  some  of  them  profess  Christ  and  embrace 
the  benefits  of  His  saving  grace.  These  bright 
and  promising  girls  will  become  the  future 
mothers  of  Japan,  and  in  this  way  the  home 
will  become  the  vestibule  of  heaven. 

Miss  Ault  having   married   the   Rev.  W.   B. 


OUR  GIRLS'    SCHOOL.  97 

Hoy,  Miss  Emma  F.  Poorbaugh,  a  sister  of 
Miss  Lizzie,  was  elected  by  the  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions  to  succeed  her.  Our  ladies  are 
well  qualified  to  engage  in  this  noble  work 
among  the  women  and  girls  of  Japan.  As  in 
the  case  of  the  Training  school,  so  with  the 
Girls'  school,  to  insure  its  permanent  success  a 
large  and  substantial  building  became  necessary. 
The  money  for  the  comfortable  structure  that 
now  adorns  our  beautiful  Sambancho  lot  was 
supplied  by  the  Church  at  home.  It  is  a  fitting 
monument  to  the  liberality  of  our  people,  as 
well  as  a  constant  testimony  to  Christianity, 
in  a  city  whose  people  are  not  yet  the  people 
of  God. 
7 


XIV. 


99 


"  YE  Christian  heralds,  go,  proclaim 
Salvation  in  Emmanuel's  name  : 
To  distant  climes  the  tidings  bear, 
And  plant  the  rose  of  Sharon  there. 


EVANGELISTIC  WORK. 


T3  EV.  OSHIKAWA  is  a  born  evangelist. 
-*-  *•  No  sooner  had  the  grace  of  God  brought 
peace  to  his  soul  than  his  mouth  became  a 
trumpet  to  proclaim  the  precious  Gospel  of  sal- 
vation to  his  perishing  brethren.  His  soul  was 
set  on  fire  from  heaven,  and  Jesus  became  the 
theme  of  his  lips.  It  is  impossible  to  estimate 
the  number  of  souls  who  were  led  through  his 
instrumentality  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Ref- 
erence has  already  been  made  to  his  influence 
upon  his  dear  wife  and  loving  mother,  who 
were  gradually  brought  into  the  glorious  liberty 
of  the  children  of  God.  During  his  student- 
life  he  could  not  hold  his  peace  for  his  country's 
sake.  At  Niigata  he  stood  with  heroic  bold- 
ness and  made  known  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ.  In  Sendai  he  patiently  bore  with 
the  slowness  of  the  people  to  respond  to  his 
burning  appeals.  The  record  of  his  work  is 
imperfect,  for  it  mentions  only  those  converts 


102  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

who  made  their  profession  of  Christ  in  his  pres- 
ence. The  Book  of  Life  alone  will  reveal  how 
many  sheaves  were  bound  by  his  hands,  and 
how  many  trophies  were  won  by  his  efforts.  It 
must  ever  be  borne  in  mind  that  our  evangelistic 
harvest  is  the  result  of  his  planting.  This  is 
the  bright  side  to  the  mission  work  of  our 
Church  in  Japan.  On  the  whole,  the  work  in 
the  several  districts  is  very  encouraging.  One 
of  its  weaknesses  is  the  lack  of  evangelists. 
"The  harvest  truly  is  great,  but  the  laborers 
are  few."  May  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  con- 
tinue to  prosper  us  in  this  work,  and  grant  us 
such  results  as  will  make  glad  the  hearts  of  all 
His  people,  both  in  the  home  church  and  in  the 
foreign  field.  The  Church  dare  not  neglect  this 
most  glorious  department  of  mission  work,  among 
the  heathen.  The  great  problem  lies  before 
us,  and  the  Scriptures  furnish  the  only  practi- 
cal, possible  solution.  Every  Christian  must 
become  a  herald  of  the  Cross. 

This  is  the  marrow  of  the  Gospel: — "Go  ye 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature." 


XV. 

HIS  VISIT  TO  AMERICA. 


"  BY  Thine  unerring  Spirit  led, 
We  shall  not  in  the  desert  stray: 
By  Thy  paternal  bounty  fed, 
We  shall  not  lack  in  all  our  way : 
As  far  from  danger  as  from  fear, 
While  Thine  almighty  love  is  near.' 


104 


HIS  VISIT  TO  AMERICA. 


r  I  ""HE  Japanese  are  not  a  strong-bodied  people. 
•*-  This  is  partly  due  to  climate,  food  and 
mode  of  living.  It  is  very  evident  that  a 
feeble  frame  cannot  endure  for  many  years 
the  trials  and  denials  of  the  Christian  ministry 
on  heathen  soil.  Rev.  Oshikawa  is  not  a  strong 
man,  and  hence  his  physical  strength  was  not 
equal  to  his  mental  powers  ;  he  is  weak  in  the 
flesh  but  strong  in  the  spirit.  Thirteen  years 
of  incessant  labors  for  the  Master  wore  him  out. 
The  state  of  his  health  has  been  such,  for  the 
last  few  years,  that  he  has  not  been  able  to  do 
full  work.  A  little  more  than  a  year  ago  he 
went  to  the  Hok  Kiado  (North  Sea  road),  in 
the  north  of  Japan,  for  rest.  Alas  !  he  did 
not  find  it.  He  was  so  persistently  besieged 
for  sermons,  lectures,  addresses  and  interviews, 
and  at  the  same  time  it  being  so  difficult  for 
him  to  say,  No,  to  any  call  of  Christian  work, 

that  resting  in  his  native  country7  became  out 

105 


IO6  WON   BY   PRAYER. 

of  the  question.  Hence  competent  medical 
authority  decreed  that  unless  he  obtained  a 
complete  rest  and  change,  there  would  be  great 
danger  of  his  breaking  down  entirely.  Some 
of  his  personal  friends  gave  him  money  to  come 
to  America.  Since  the  brother  is  more  espe- 
cially identified  with  the  work  of  our  Mission  at 
Sendai,  our  missionaries  also  gave  him  aid.  He 
came  to  this  country  in  March  of  the  present  year 
to  find  the  rest  he  so  much  needs,  and  to  enjoy 
the  benefits  of  our  richer  experiencein  grace  and 
'truth.  We  are  sure  that  his  visit  will  afford  his 
own  people  a  better  conception  of  our  country's 
glorious  fame  and  genuine  worth.  He  will 
sojourn  amongst  us  for  about  one  year,  and  we 
bespeak  for  him  a  cordial  welcome  everywhere. 

He  has  a  threefold  purpose  in  view  in  coming 
to  America  :  — 

ist.  To  regain,  if  possible,  his  physical 
strength  for  his  future  life-work,  ad.  To  im- 
bibe the  spirit  of  our  Christian  institutions.  3d. 
To  raise  funds  for  the  new  Seminary  building 
and  Church  edifice  in  Sendai.  May  the  Lord 
grant  him  the  first ;  may  the  institutions  bestow 
the  second ;  may  the  churches  provide  the  last. 


SK.\L  OK  SKX1MI  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY. 

Page  107. 


XVI. 
CONCLUSION. 


107 


"  To  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 

One  God  and  Persons  Three, 
Whose  name  we  bear,  in  whom  we  live 
Eternal  glory  be." 


1 08 


CONCLUSION. 


T  T  AS  a  life  so  full  of  self-sacrifices  no  les- 
•*•  sons  for  us?  Can  we  close  this  little 
book  without  feeling  wiser  and  better  for  its 
perusal  ?  Circumstances  will  hardly  afford  all 
the  readers  of  these  pages  the  pleasure  of  a 
personal  interview  with  this  servant  of  the 
Lord.  Truly  the  Divine  artist  has  wrought 
out  a  noble  specimen  of  Christian  character 
in  this  humble  disciple  of  the  lowly  Jesus. 
Here  is  a  body  kept  in  subjection,  lest,  after 
preaching  to  others,  he  himself  might  be  a 
castaway.  Here  is  a  mind  stored  with  the 
varied  lore  of  the  ages,  for  the  high  purpose 
of  serving  his  dear  people.  Here  is  a  soul, 
radiant  with  the  light  of  Jesus  and  quietly 
shedding  its  rays  for  the  healing  of  his  na- 
tion. No  one  can  come  in  contact  with  this 
man  of  God  without  feeling  the  better  for  it. 
We  confidently  believe  that  brother  Oshikawa 

is  but  on    the    threshold  of  his    future    useful- 
log 


IIO  WON    BY   PRAYER. 

ness.  His  work  has  only  been  begun.  Eter- 
nity alone  will  see  its  completion.  May  his 
precious  life  enkindle  holy  and  heavenly  de- 
sires in  every  bosom,  and  constrain  all  to 
new  and  persistent  labors  for  God  and  Man- 
kind. To  God  be  the  Glory. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


"  BLESS  we,  then,  our  gracious  Lord, 

Ever  praise  His  glorious  name  ; 
All  His  mighty  acts  record. 

All  His  wondrous  love  proclaim." 


112 


SUPPLEMENT. 

HISTORY  OF  MISSION  WORK  IN  JAPAN. 

JAPAN    is   a   very  ancient  nation.      Its    first 
emperor    sat    upon    the    throne    about   800 
B.  c.     Very  little  was  known  of  this  hermit 
nation  prior  to  the  sixteenth  century.     In   the 
year  1549  Francis  Xavier,  "the  Apostle  of  the 
Indies,"  came  to  Satsuma  and  began  to  scatter 
the  good  seed  of  the  religion  of' Jesus  Christ. 

Religiously,  Japan  was  ripe  for  the  new 
faith.  Vast  numbers  of  the  natives  became 
converts  to  Christianity.  "Three  of  the  most 
powerful  nobles — the  princes  of  Bungo,  Harirna 
and  Omura — were  among  the  converts.  In 
1582  the  Japanese  sent  an  embassy  with  letters 
and  presents  to  Rome  to  do  honor  to  the  pope 
and  assure  him  of  their  submission  to  the 
Church."  The  famous  regent,  Hideyoshi,  was 
a  bitter  enemy  of  the  new  religion,  but  in 
order  to  win  the  southern  daimios  (governors) 
who  were  mostly  Christians,  he  did  not  oppose 

it  during  his   early  reign.       The   native   Chris- 
8  113 


114  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

tians  soon  became  disobedient  to  his  rude  and 
arbitrary  orders,  and  this  made  him  inquire  of 
"a  subject  of  the  double  kingdom  of  Spain 
and  Portugal  how  his  king  had  managed  to 
possess  himself  of  half  the  world?"  The 
Spaniard  replied:  "He  sends  priests  to  win 
the  people  ;  his  troops  are  then  sent  to  join 
the  native  Christians,  and  the  conquest  is 
easy."  This  reply  made  a  deep  impression  on 
a  man  who  was  never  trifled  with.  He  felt 
that  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  trying 
to  usurp  the  government  of  Japan,  and  this 
conviction  drove  his  successor  to  issue  the 
terrible  edict:  "So  long  as  the  sun  shall 
warm  the  earth,  let  no  Christian  be  so  bold  as 
to  come  to  Japan."  A  few  years  later  a  fierce 
war  ensued,  in  which  sixty  thousand  Christians 
lost  their  lives.  This,  in  brief,  is  the  first 
chapter  of  the  mission  work  in  Japan.  It  is 
written  with  the  pen  of  war  in  the  ink  of 
human  blood.  Its  influence  was  very  damag- 
ing to  the  cause  of  true  religion.  The  Roman 
Catholic  Church  has  very  little  prestige  in  the 
empire  at  the  present  time.  Its  converts  are 
mostly  from  the  poorer  and  more  ignorant 


HISTORY  OF   MISSION  WORK   IN  JAPAN. 

classes.  Active  mission  work  in  Japan  is  of 
modern  origin,  and  the  wonderful  progress  of 
the  Gospel  is  due  to  the  influence  of  the  Pro- 
testant Church. 

The  second  chapter  begins  with  the  visit  of 
Commodore  Perry  and  his  party,  who  cast  an- 
chor in  the  bay  of  Yeddo,  on  the  Lord's  day, 
in  the  year  1853.  They  sang  the  familiar 
words  : 

"All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell, 

Sing  to  the  Lord  with  cheerful  voice  ; 
Him  serve  with  fear,  His  praise  forth  tell — 
Come  ye  before  Him,  and  rejoice." 

On  that  holy  day  God  put  the  key  to  the 
Sunrise  kingdom  into  the  hand  of  Commodore 
Perry,  and  soon  after  some  of  its  ports  were 
thrown  open  to  the  commerce  of  the  world 
and  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

When  we  remember  that  thirty  years  ago 
there  were  but  few  native  Christians  and  fewer 
foreign  missionaries  in  Japan,  the  progress  of 
the  Gospel  has  been  truly  wonderful.  At  first 
the  work  was  carried  on  by  foreign  mission- 
aries, without  any  natives  to  assist  them.  The 


Il6  .          WON   BY  PRAYER. 

pioneers  —  Verbeck,  Hepburn,  Williams  and 
Brown — had  not  only  to  sow  the  seed,  but  to 
prepare  the  soil  for  its  reception.  For  a  period 
of  fifteen  years  these  men  of  God  were  prepar- 
ing themselves  for  the  conflict  with  a  gross 
heathenism,  and  during  all  this  time  they  did 
not  enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  making  a  single 
known  convert  for  Christ,  but  by  the  grace  of 
God  they  persevered,  and  the  bread  of  life 
that  they  cast  upon  the  troubled  waters  is  re- 
turning after  many  days. 

Very  few  of  the  nobler  and  more  influential 
class  were  willing  to  listen  to  the  Gospel. 
Most  of  the  converts  came  from  the  lower  and 
more  ignorant  class.  We  can  easily  see  that 
the  churches  in  the  beginning  were  weak  and 
imperfect  in  every  respect.  How  to  reach  the 
better  class  became  the  question  of  absorbing 
interest  with  the  missionaries.  They  found  its 
solution  in  the  establishing  of  schools.  The 
management  of  the  schools  was  dependent 
upon  them.  They  were  obliged  to  exercise 
much  patience  with  their  rude  and  crude  pu- 
pils, but  in  the  school-room  they  reached  a 
higher  standard  of  personal  consecration  to 


HISTORY  OF   MISSION   WORK  IN  JAPAN.    I  \J 

Christ  and  of  intelligent  equipment  for  a  suc- 
cessful warfare  against  the  adversaries  of  Chris- 
tianity. These  students  have  since  become  the 
faithful  evangelists  who  are  sacrificing  their 
lives  for  the  sake  of  the  Gospel.  As  the  mission 
schools  were  increasing  their  forces,  the  nation 
at  large  also  began  to  move  in  the  direction 
of  Christian  civilization.  The  people  lost  con- 
fidence in  their  old  religion  and  saw  that  true 
progress  lay  in  the  pathway  of  the  Christian 
institutions.  This  feeling  made  them  eager  to  see 
and  hear  those  who  came  from  other  countries ; 
they  were  struggling  after  something  which  they 
could  not  attain  under  their  old  civilization. 
From  this  time  on  the  foreign  missionary  was 
no  longer  the  exclusive  worker,  but  the  Japan- 
ese assistant  appears  by  his  side.  The  latter 
accompanies  the  former  from  place  to  place, 
preaching  the  Gospel,  teaching  the  ignorant, 
visiting  the  sick,  strengthening  the  weak  and 
helping  in  every  way  the  work  of  the  Lord. 

The  native  helpers  have  become,  to  a  great 
extent,  the  pastors  of  the  churches.  They  are  in- 
deed not  yet  perfect  in  spiritual  things,  but  they 
are  daily  advancing  in  grace,  truth  and  holiness. 


Il8  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

The  Church  of  Christ  in  Japan  is  gradually 
strengthening  herself  with  all  the  varied  helps 
of  modern  times.  The  evangelistic  work  is 
carried  on  mainly  by  native  pastors,  while  the 
training  of  candidates  for  the  holy  ministry  is 
the  particular  work  of  the  foreign  missionary. 

Men  who  have  made  the  work  of  missions  in 
Japan  a  careful  study  are  agreed  that  the  triumph 
of  the  Gospel  there  depends  upon  the  preaching 
of  the  Gospel  by  the  native  converts.  It  is 
plain,  therefore,  that  ' '  the  work  of  training 
young  men  for  the  ministry  is  by  far  the  most 
fruitful  and  permanent  method  of  doing  mis- 
sionary work  in  Japan.  A  good  native  minis- 
ter can  preach  more  eloquently  and  make 
more  converts  than  almost  any  one  of  the 
foreign  missionaries  ;  he  preaches  in  his  mother 
tongue,  understands  his  own  people  better,  be- 
comes more  intimate  with  them  and  has  more 
influence  over  them.  All  this,  however,  pre- 
supposes the  direct  personal  contact  of  the  na- 
tive evangelist  with  the  foreign  missionary. 
By  training  native  young  men  the  missionary 
multiplies  himself  manifold.  He  makes  convert- 
makers  ;  and  if  he  can  make  twelve  efficient 


HISTORY   OF   MISSION   WORK   IN  JAPAN.     119 

convert-makers  he  does  better  than  if  he  would 
make  a  hundred  converts." 

The  centre  of  influence  in  every  denomina- 
tion is  the  school.  The  success  of  the  evan- 
gelistic work  depends,  in  a  large  measure,  upon 
the  educational  institutions.  In  the  future  it 
will  become  more  necessary  because  the  edu- 
cational progress  of  Japan  is  truly  wonderful. 
The  enemies  which  confront  Christianity  are 
great  and  mighty,  and  it  is  very  important  for 
the  native  and  foreign  missionaries  to  "be  able 
to  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in  them." 
The  battle  there  is  eminently  a  battle  of  in- 
tellect. Fully  thirty  thousand  Christians  are 
letting  their  light  shine  in  the  spiritual  dark- 
ness of  Japan,  the  bulk  of  whom  are  young 
men,  who  ought  to  receive  a  Christian  training. 
It  will  be  hazardous  to  place  these  tender 
plants  of  grace  into  institutions  that  are  known 
as  the  nurseries  of  unbelief  and  skepticism. 
They  need  to  have  thrown  around  them  the 
sacred  influence  of  Christian  schools. 

Again,  if  these  young  men  graduate  in  a 
government-school  it  will  be  very  difficult  to 
induce  them  to  enter  a  theological  seminary. 


I2O  WON   BY  PRAYER. 

The  Christian  Church  of  Japan  needs  men 
whose  talents  and  attainments  will  fit  them 
for  the  highest  grades  of  society. 

The  work  of  the  church  in  the  home-land 
consists  chiefly  in  supplying  the  means  to  es- 
tablish schools  of  a  high  order  in  which  young 
men  and  women  may  receive  a  broad,  liberal, 
Christian  education. 

With  a  native  ministry  "apt  to  teach"  the 
Church  of  Christ  in  Japan  will  be  able  by  the 
help  of  God  to  carry  forward  the  work  of  Re- 
deeming love. 


J.  G.  STANOFF,  Booksellers 
640  N.  Beachwood  Dr.,Suite  207 

Hnllvw/nnH    Halifnrnia  a<W\/l 


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